A map shows the route of the planned HCMC-Can Tho express railway (in red). The project will require an estimated investment of US$10 billion - PHOTO: TNO

The Can Tho Province Department of Transport has worked with the Southern Institute of Science and Technology and Transport Engineering and Design Inc. South (TEDI SOUTH) to review the project.

Accordingly, cargo trains will start in Binh Duong Province’s Di An Town and end in Can Tho City’s Cai Rang District, while passenger trains will begin in HCMC’s Binh Chanh District. The railway will pass through six localities: Binh Duong, HCMC, Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Can Tho.

The train line, once operating, will help meet the demand for transporting cargo and passengers among localities in the southern region, and ease traffic congestion on roads.

Le Tien Dung, director of the Can Tho Department of Transport, said the department will report the results of the meeting to the municipal government, and proposed that the Southern Institute of Science and Technology and TEDI SOUTH design the railway in a way that maintains the urban landscape and preserves the surrounding environment. He also noted that roads connecting to the railway should be planned as well.

In addition, the connection between the railway and Cai Cui Port, Can Tho’s logistics center, should be established.

The Ministry of Transport has asked the governments of localities where the railway is expected to pass through to make suggestions about the project.

The HCMC-Can Tho express railway project has been planned since 2013. At that time, the project was to stretch 134 kilometers and cost US$3.6 billion.

In March last year, the Southern Institute of Science and Technology announced that the project would be 139 kilometers in length and require US$5 billion. The railway would start in HCMC and run through stations in Long An, Tien Giang and Vinh Long provinces, before ending at Cai Cui Port in Can Tho City. SGT